According to ongoing survey conducted by CarrierLists, electronic logging device (ELD) compliance rates dropped to 82% this week, pulling the group’s three-week moving average down to 87%. And the main reason for the dip in compliance centers on small fleets, noted Kevin Hill, president and founder of CarrierLists; those with under 20 trucks.
“For the six months we've been releasing weekly ELD compliance results, three categories have always lagged the field; smaller fleets, regional operators and dry bulk haulers,” he said. “All three continue to drag the overall ELD compliance rate down. For example, over the past three weeks, fleets operating under 20 trucks are at 85% ELD compliance compared to 98% for fleets running over 20 trucks.”
By contrast, Hill said long-haul fleets in the dry van, flatbeds, and refrigerated or “reefers” segments are “consistently” running above 90% ELD compliance week-over-week.
He also told American Trucker that ELD compliance rates are also lower in the Southern U.S. compared to the Midwest and Northwest, with some surprising state-by-state comparisons. For example, California comes in with an 85% compliance rate based on CarrierLists’ “unscientific” poll; a percentage lower than he expected, given the regulatory-focused nature of the Golden State.
Andrew Lockwood with the third party logistics provider the Kenco Group, which conducts some of the state-by-state survey data analysis of ELD compliance for CarrierLists, told American Trucker that he expects non-compliance rates with the ELD rule will hover between 5% and 10% when the April 1 “full enforcement” deadline for the mandate arrives.
“The line of thinking seems to be, among many of them, that there still may be some changes,” he said. “Others may be thinking they are not covered by the mandate – that they run within 150 air miles of their home base. Now, if you run one day a month beyond that [150 air-mile radius] you will probably be OK. But if you do that once a week you’ll be in trouble.”
Still others are so busy due to “supply and demand being way out of whack” that they are more focused on “hauling freight, meeting payroll, and keeping their drivers happy,” Lockwood said. “Any truck right now is literally a gold mine, if you don’t mind the grind of this business. So that’s where their focus is.”
